Thursday 13 August 2015 10:23, UK
Justin Rose says he will be heading into the 97th PGA Championship this week with "a lot of confidence".
The 35 year-old is happy with his recent form, despite finishing third from a winning position at last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club.
Rose entered the final round with a share of the lead after shooting an impressive third-round 63. However, a two over par 72 final round ensured that he would have to settle for equal third with Jim Furyk behind Shane Lowry and Bubba Watson.
The 2013 US Open champion heads into final major of the year in a rich vein of form, having now finished sixth, fourth and third in his last three events.
"I played really well last week but obviously there is the frustration of not finishing it off," Rose said on Tuesday.
"You go into the final round tied for the lead with another great player like Jim Furyk and you certainly never count your chickens like it's going to be an easy walk in the park on a Sunday.
" I feel like I'm trending in the right direction"
"There were obviously certain parts of my game that highlighted they need a little bit of attention and that's what I focused on these last couple of days.
"But I feel like I'm trending in the right direction. Tied sixth at the Open, tied fourth, tied third - I'm moving towards the winner's circle so I'm coming into here with a lot of confidence."
Rose has endured a torrid time when playing at Whistling Straits in the past. The Englishman failed to make the cut in both the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championships. However, the current world number six thinks he now possesses the "consistency and resolve" needed to succeed in Wisconsin.
"I don't remember a lot about 2004 and 2010. I think I'm right in saying there wasn't a lot to remember," admitted Rose.
"In 2010, I had a good season up to that point and won a couple of times during the summer.
"And I think I came in here maybe a little burnt out. I felt like I just didn't quite have that resolve to play well in the year's last major.
"My consistency feels like it's so much better than in those years past. I feel like I'm getting stronger as the year is going on. I would say, last week, that is as good as I've played all year from tee to green. I drove the ball particularly well at Firestone, which was a huge advantage.
"Sunday was an awkward day, really. I'd been putting quite solidly all week. The three-putt (for par) on the second kind of set the tone a little bit, maybe got me a bit too tentative for the rest of the round and I wasn't able to shake it. I really needed to make a mid-range putt, make a birdie, get things back on track and wasn't able to do that.
"At the Open Championship, I switched to a different putter, which worked well for the short-term, as often these changes do. But I think I was beginning to fall into some different habits with it and was beginning to swing too quickly to the inside, which was making it hard for me to find my line on the way through.
"I'm looking at going back to my old putter this week. My old putter is definitely a putter that would suit these greens that are rolling very pure."
